Forum Discussion

rayneman's avatar
rayneman
New Contributor II
4 years ago

Will Additional Pods Help?

Long story short, I upgraded my internet service from the 300 Mbps service to Giga service. The actual speeds I’m getting are one issue but my real problem is coverage, which is next to nothing once I leave the room where my router was installed (by Cox, originally). 

Previously, with my 300 service the coverage was pretty good, and I also utilized a hard wired extender in the basement where my office is located, and my work machines all got a great signal and great speeds. 

Now, beyond the room where the router is located the speeds are either (really) 18-90 Mbps or in the basement either no coverage or intermittent connection and speeds which are completely unusable for what I do, let alone any “normal” browsing and streaming. 

Cox sold me a WiFi “Pod” device for $120 which is supposed to replace my extender.  This thing seemingly does nothing to help, and the only place where I can get it to actually connect and be online is in the living room where the router is.  Hence I can see why it does nothing  but it won’t go online anywhere else.  Before I go ahead and buy more of these infernal pod things, will that help?  If I say get two more and put one in our kitchen and another on the basement will they connect in a line and help with coverage?  

Or even better, can I buy an extender of some sort and simply plug it into the existing coax cable which is already installed in my basement where my old extender was?  I understand the one I had, which was rented from Cox will not work with the Giga service but maybe another kind will? Or are these pods the only solution ?  

My house is NOT huge, so these coverage issues are puzzling  

thanks!

  • Superbigwaff's avatar
    Superbigwaff
    Contributor
    4 years ago

    There’s a lot to unpack here... is your modem configured for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless networks? Do both networks use the same network name (SSID)?

    • rayneman's avatar
      rayneman
      New Contributor II
      4 years ago

      I am not sure about this. My last modem had both the 2.4 and 5 and they each had a separate name. When I set up the new modem it seemed to only broadcast one signal, which is the only one I see from my network when I view them on our various devices. The Cox app asked me to name the network and that was it. 

      • Superbigwaff's avatar
        Superbigwaff
        Contributor
        4 years ago

        Good. The pods only work when the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks have the same network name. The router and the pod create a mesh network, which should help with coverage, not necessarily WiFi speeds. Now to get the pod doing it’s thing....

        From your previous post, it sounds like you brought the pod close to the router to configure it. You probably want the pod to be about 20 ft from the router when adding it. Once added, you should be able to unplug it and the move it elsewhere. I can’t find any info regarding the range of these devices but typical mesh network “mesh” points can be further than 20-30 ft from the “mesh” router, i.e. router on 1st floor, mesh point in basement, another on 2nd floor, and so on. 

        There could be a number of factors why your pod can’t connect to the router. What type wall construction and how many walls between router and pod?

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    4 years ago

    I'll presume you have a Panoramic combo DOCSIS/router.

    If you don't need Pano, I'd purchase your own equipment.  At least if the wireless coverage doesn't improve, you could return to using MoCA in the basement.

    • rayneman's avatar
      rayneman
      New Contributor II
      4 years ago

      Yes, I have what should be the newest Cox DOCSIS 3.1 modem/router device.  

      A buddy who is "in IT" also suggested that I buy a Google Mesh device that I'd attach to my current modem/router but "disable" the Cox unit's WiFi and then use the Google router and pod devices. 

      I did finally get the Cox Pod to go online yesterday in our kitchen, and directly one floor above my basement office but its doing nearly nothing to provide a usable signal there, which is where I need it the most.

      I guess speeds diminish with each subsequent pod, so I see this as a huge issue if I try to add more, as I'm only getting 300-400Mbps from my gigabit service when I'm 10 feet away from the router as it is.  Maybe running ethernet cable is the ultimate solution, as I am hearing that I'll never get gigabit speeds over WiFi.

      This is all rather ironic and unfortunate I had a perfectly good setup with my  (now unavailable) 300Mbps service and the hard-wired extender which provided consistent 300+ Mbps speeds in my office.  I feel like I've been sold swamp land by Cox, as in the end I am now getting a far, far reduced TV package and terrible internet coverage for more $$$.  

      My city only has Cox or AT&T, and on my street the only AT&T is Uverse, which we had and which drove us to Cox in the first place.  

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        4 years ago

        The question is...do you need the Panoramic?  If you're to disable it, why rent it?